Cornered
396 Words
The night was heavy, shadows stretching long across the estate. She slipped into the garden for air, the scent of roses mixing with the crisp night chill. She felt free and powerful after watching Clara squirm at dinner. But she wasn’t alone.
Footsteps crunched on gravel behind her.
She didn’t turn. “You finally grew a spine?”
The son’s voice was sharp, low. “What the hell are you doing to my family?”
She slowly turned, her eyes glinting under the moonlight. “Your family?” Her laugh was soft, mocking. “Darling, you lost the right to say that the moment you betrayed me with that plastic doll you called a cousin.”
His jaw tightened. “You think you’re clever, don’t you? Playing with my father. Making Clara nervous. Turning this house upside down. But I know you, and I know you’re not as untouchable as you pretend to be.”
She took a deliberate step toward him, her heels clicking against the stone path. “Careful. You sound jealous.”
He stepped closer, close enough to smell her perfume, intoxicating and defiant. “You’re not a prize. You’re poison. My father’s blinded by you, but I see it clearly. I won’t let you ruin him—or me.”
She smirked, leaning in just enough to brush her lips near his ear without touching. “Oh, sweetheart, it’s too late for that. You already ruined yourself the night you chose her over me. Now you’re just… watching me become untouchable.”
He grabbed her wrist suddenly, his grip tight, his eyes burning with rage. “If you think you’re going to win this game—”
She twisted free with ease, shoving him back a step. Her smile turned wicked. “Win? Oh, darling… I already have. The moment you had to chase me out here like a scorned boy, I knew I owned you.”
For a moment, silence hung between them—thick, dangerous.
Then she added, her voice dropping into a whisper laced with venom: “Pray Clara’s smarter than you. Otherwise, I’ll bury her where no one will ever find her smile again.”
His breath hitched, his hands shaking—not from fear, but fury. And for the first time, he understood: she wasn’t just his father’s forbidden flame. She was a storm he couldn’t stop.
- Writer
